Treo generates precious resources for South Africa’s mining industry using Powerproject

Project management specialist, Treo, is bringing dynamic, value-add services to South Africa’s mining and minerals processing industry by using Powerproject software to improve scheduling, track progress on-site and enable sustainable project delivery.

Powerproject has a breadth of capabilities, to deliver all sizes and complexities of projects, and continues to add value to operations across multiple industries – just ask Treo Group (Pty) Ltd. The South African company is generating precious resources for the country’s mining industry by running its project management services through Powerproject by Elecosoft.

With more than 80 per cent of the world’s platinum reserves located in South Africa, Treo is using Powerproject to differentiate its services from the competition and work flexibly with its customers, improving productivity, and providing an efficient and adaptable project management model.

Suitable software for any operational environment

Treo is an Irish Gaelic word for ‘way or direction’ and Treo Group (Pty) Ltd is certainly directing its mining and mineral processing customers the right way. The company specialises in running sustainable, value-add project management services – from reviewing and optimizing schedules, to tracking progress and providing full project management.

One of the key elements to Treo’s success is using different project management software to some of its major competitors. After becoming frustrated by the limitations of the company’s previous software choice, Director, Calvin Morrison, decided to look for an alternative in 2015 – choosing Powerproject as the company’s preferred solution.

“I was scouring the market for a better planning tool and Powerproject was recommended to me through an online forum. It was our go-to-choice for several reasons: it handles multiple project files seamlessly, including in different formats, and we can easily export information to a BI environment.”
Calvin Morrison, Director, Treo Group (Pty) Ltd.

Although Powerproject’s predominantly known for its use in the built environment, Calvin had seen how the software had supported mining projects in South America, and he felt confident it would enhance Treo’s service portfolio.

“Powerproject is more than just a construction management tool, it is proven that it can be used more widely for projects within any operational environment.”

He was also impressed by the passion of Powerproject’s development team, their commitment to continuously developing and enhancing the software, and the high levels of customer support.

“Many project management software programmes are owned by large organisations, which makes it hard to get hold of people as there’s no centralised support service. Powerproject’s support portal is the opposite; it’s excellent, we don’t have to spend time trying to solve problems.”

Setting realistic expectations from project launch

Investing in Powerproject has enhanced several key services that Treo offers, such as integrity checks.

At the start of any project, Treo is able to validate the schedules that customer teams have put in place, running thousands of scenarios that could impact how quickly work is completed, before advising on a realistic end date.

Even if customers have built their schedules using another piece of software, Treo is able to migrate data into Powerproject to benefit from its in-built features including critical path analysis and risk analysis. This is vital for allowing Treo to work with companies where their project management software is mandated, without tying Treo into a solution that can’t deliver full-service capabilities.

Powerproject’s flexibility has also expanded Treo’s project management services, as the company is able to offer multiple working models to its customers. Companies can decide whether to manage their own schedule after using Treo’s integrity checking service, or ask Treo to provide a certified Project Manager, who can oversee the job from end-to-end using Powerproject to coordinate strategic activities.

Seamlessly driving project success

For its fully managed projects, Treo is benefitting hugely from Powerproject’s Site Progress Mobile application, which enables all stakeholders to view task lists, track schedules, and share updates via their smartphone.

Utilising mobile software has greatly reduced the amount of time that site teams spend in meetings or on admin tasks, without compromising quality or progress.

“Instead of taking 10-15 people off the job for a status update meeting, they can now spend five minutes putting their update into Site Progress Mobile. This feature alone means Powerproject pays for itself.”
Calvin Morrison

One of the biggest value-add features of Site Progress Mobile is the fact that updates can be logged when there’s no internet connection. Smartphone signal is a major issue in the mining industry; it’s not easy to get hold of colleagues and contractors by phone or receive email feedback in real-time.

By using the mobile app, Project Managers and other stakeholders can log updates underground, which automatically sync with Powerproject via the cloud when the software is next able to connect. There’s no need to return to an office to enter essential information.

The ability to post updates on-the-go also enhances Treo’s customer service capabilities back at head office. Email notifications are sent to the team whenever someone logs feedback, so they can monitor each Project Manager’s performance on a daily basis.

Partnering with winners

Streamlining the way data is collected, updated and shared does more than save precious time for Treo and its in-house project managers. It puts the focus back on strategic activities, enabling the company to run programmes cost-effectively, while quickly identifying and solving any issues that could interfere with projects finishing on schedule.

“We’re lean and efficient in the way we execute work, and Powerproject allowed us to cement these capabilities and focus on our clients, rather than solving software frustrations. The equation for business growth is multivariant, but Powerproject has certainly helped our progress in a big way.”
Calvin Morrison

With its service portfolio expanding and a happy customer base, Treo is confident that Powerproject is moving the company in the right direction, and Calvin has no intention of looking at other project management software for a long time to come.

“Powerproject doesn’t win accolades for nothing. We like to partner with winners, and we’ll be using Powerproject software for the foreseeable future.”

The power behind successful projects: book a free demo to experience Powerproject.